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Watch Your Step (FoF)
Reference Book: Star Wars Saga Edition Galaxy at War Main Page: Fields of Fire Preceded by Hitting the Trail SETUP: This encounter serves as the climax of "Fields of Fire." This encounter takes place on a treacherous incline that is rife with bomb craters, jagged pieces of stone, and bits of shattered metal. The western portion of the location is bordered by a sheer cliff, and the eastern border is marked by a steep slope that leads into a gully filled with large, serrated boulders. The heroes begin at the southern end of the Encounter Map (See below) and must make their way to the northern edge. The retreating enemy forces have riddled the path with Mines and other explosive devices. Given enough time, the heroes could carefully pick their way through and avoid most of the traps. However, they must hurry; whenever they seem to slow down too much, Lieutenant Pleth Juun berates them for endangering the lives if the wounded officers at Camp Kavel. In addition to the Mines, the enemy forces installed two Automated Sentry Guns with interlocking fields of fire at the top of the slope, as detail below. These weapon emplacements have been furnished with rudimentary camouflage and cover (DC 15 Perception check to Notice the guns once they are in view). The guns are basically computer-controlled Light Repeating Blasters that lack the capacity for movement. The guns open fire when the heroes advance up the final slope. Read-Aloud Text As the heroes venture deeper into the demilitarized zone, read the following text: The terrain rises to meet the planetary highlands, leaving a single, obvious route up the near-insurmountable cliff face. Although hardly a proper path, the incline is less steep than the alternative, and it winds back and forth as it rises to the highest point of the cliff that towers above you. The wind picks up suddenly, whistling through the shattered stone and debris that blocks your path. Encounter Setup The Watch Your Step encounter has the following setup: * 2 Automated Sentry Guns Mines and Booby Traps The area leading up to the slope has been liberally sprinkled with several types of Mines and other explosive traps, as marked on the map. Most of them were designed to incapacitate, not kill. The more dangerous Mines are located farther up the slope, closer to the Automated Sentry Guns that monitor the final stretch of the incline. Each mined space contains a hidden device placed by retreating enemies. If the heroes spot a Mine by making a successful Perception check (DC 10 to DC 20, depending on the Mine), they can avoid it. If an oblivious character enters a mined square, the Mine explodes (See Mines in Features of the Area, below). Sentry Guns These Automated Sentry Guns are manufactured locally. Each consists of a rudimentary Droid Brain attached to a servo-controlled Light Repeating Blaster fitted with a sighting device. Although these guns are not incredibly accurate, they make up for their simplicity by laying down an impressive barrage of blaster fire. The weapons rely on optical targeting systems to spot enemies within specific fields of fire, but they cannot distinguish friend from foe. The guns have been set up behind banks of rock and shale that provide them with a +5 Cover bonus to Reflex Defense. When the heroes first enter one of the guns' fields of fire, read the following: At first glance, this appears to be an automated turret mounted on an improvised frame, painted to match the surrounding shale and festooned with camouflage netting to reduce its silhouette. The weapon swivels ever so slightly before letting loose with a long, deafening burst of blaster fire. Features of the Area The rocky slope has the following features: Terrain: The incline's terrain is universally rough in nature. Footing is treacherous- pieces of loose shale in a variety of sizes cover the slope and can slide from underfoot without warning. The slope is considered to be Difficult Terrain. Mines: The ground is seeded with three types of Mines, as marked on the encounter map. The first type of Mine is obvious to any character within 3 squares of the Mine who makes a DC 10 Perception check. If a creature moves into a square containing one of these Mines, the device explodes, dealing 2d6 points of damage to all creatures in a radius of 1 square. The retreating enemy deliberately placed these Mines in the open to create a false sense of security in heroes who notice them. The second type of Mine is hidden more effectively and can be detected by a DC 20 Perception check. To be eligible to attempt this check, a character must be within 1 square of the Mine. If a creature moves into a square containing one of these Mines, the device explodes, dealing 4d6 points of damage to all creatures in a radius of 2 squares. The third type of Mine is a Bounding Mine. Due to their design, these Bounding Mines are placed out in the open but are camouflaged and difficult to see. To notice a Bounding Mine, a character must be within 2 squares of the Mine and must make a DC 25 Perception check. Any creature moving within 1 square of a Bounding Mine causes the Mine to activate. When this occurs, the Mine jumps 1 meter off the ground and explodes, scattering fragments that deal 6d6 points of damage to all creatures in a Burst radius of 3 squares. Any Mine that is detected can be disarmed with a DC 15 Mechanics check.